Daarel Burnette II covers state education policy for Education Week, tracking governors, legislatures, state schools chiefs, and political developments. He has covered K-12 education for news operations in Atlanta, Minneapolis, and Memphis, Tenn.

May 2011 Archives

Wisconsin's Supreme Court will hold a hearing on June 6 on the state's controversial law that restricted collective bargaining for most state workers, about two weeks after a circuit court judge declared the law invalid.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry says he's considering a bid for the White House. The Republican's candidacy would almost certain underscore stark contrasts between him and President Obama on the federal role in education.

The American Federation of Teachers calls for changes in pensions that will control their costs, such as double-dipping. But it also says some of the rhetoric about high pension costs for taxpayers are overblown.

Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna has issued a memo warning teachers, administrators, and others against using school grounds for political purposes. The state's leading teachers' union says it is being targeted by the proposal

On Sunday, May 15, CNN will air the documentary "Don't Fail Me," which follows three elite, high-achieving students as they attempt to pursue their academic dreams—and face major challenges along the way.

Paul Pastorek, the Louisiana state schools chief who won praise for setting new and more demanding academic standards in his state, has resigned from that post. He will go to work for an aerospace and defense contractor.

Paul Pastorek, who as served as Louisiana's state superintendent of schools since 2007, is expected to resign, sources tell the Associated Press. Test scores have improved under Pastorek though he has occasionally angered state lawmakers.

As debates over public pension systems play out in California and around the country, a new study shows that many workers in the state have quite generous retirement benefits, compared to the private sector. Teachers' benefits? Not as much.

A study finds that a landmark Michigan policy, which sought to create more level funding between rich and poor districts, helped students in the poor districts academically, but appears to have hurt those in wealthier systems.

The National Education Association is backing an effort in Idaho to collect enough signatures to have an item placed on the ballot to overturn a collective bargaining law. It's also likely to focus on similiar efforts in other states, including Ohio.

An Idaho teachers' union is launching a petition drive to block a series of new laws that change collective bargaining rights. It's one of a series of legal and political challenges to new laws in the states.